Professor Dr
Muhammad Hamīdullāh, widely known across the Islamic world, in the Indian
subcontinent and in Europe and North America for his seminal and outstanding
contributions to the advancement of Islamic learning and to the dissemination of
Islamic teachings in the Western world, passed away on 17th December 2002. He
was 94. (To Allah we belong and unto Him shall we return).

Professor
Hamīdullāh belonged to an illustrious family of scholars, jurists, writers and
sūfīs.
His ancestors migrated from Arabia a few centuries ago. The distinguished
sūfī scholar ‘Alā al-Dīn ‘Alī Ibn Ahmad Al-Mahā’imī
(d. 1431), who is buried in Mumbai, Habībullāh Bijāpurī,
an eminent sūfī of the Deccan,
and Muhammad Husayn Shāhid, the last principal of the famed madrasah set up by
the Brahman vizier Mahmūd Gawān, were among his illustrious ancestors.
Professor Hamīdullāh’s great grandfather Mawlvī Muhammad Ghaws Sharfu’l-Mulk
(d. 1238/1822) was well versed in Arabic and Islamic studies. He wrote more than
30 books in Arabic, Persian and Urdu. One of his important works is a commentary
on the Qur’ān, Nathru’l-Marjān fī Rasm Nazmi’l-Qur’ān, in seven volumes.
Professor Hamīdullāh’s maternal grandfather, Qādī Muhammad Sibghatullāh (d.
1280/1863) was an accomplished scholar who wrote, among other books, a
commentary on the Qur’ān. Nawāb Ghulām Ghaws Khān, the ruler of Madras,
appointed him as Chief Judge in 1272/1855.

Professor
Hamīdullāh’s father, Muftī Abū Muhammad Khalīlullāh, was a scholar of
considerable accomplishments. He migrated from Madras to Hyderabad where he was
appointed director of the revenue Department in the Nizām’s government. He set
up the first non-interest financial institution in Hyderabad. He passed away in
1363/1943.

Professor
Hamīdullāh was born in Hyderabad. He was the youngest among the three brothers
and five sisters, who were all well versed in Arabic, Persian and Urdu, as well
as in Islamic learning. He received his early education at home, first from his
sisters and then from his father. Later he was admitted in the Madrasah
Nizāmiyyah where he passed the examination for the degree for Mawlvī Kāmil with
distinction in 1924. His father had misgivings about Western education. Aware of
his father’s antipathy towards English education, the young Hamīdullāh
secretively sat for the matriculation examination and, when the results were
declared, topped the list of successful candidates. His father, who came to know
about his son’s dazzling success through the local newspaper, sent for him. The
young scholar came to the father with trepidation, fearing that he would get a
reprimand for having appeared for an English exam, and that too without the
father’s permission. However, the young Hamīdullāh got a pleasant surprise when,
instead of scolding, his father expressed his whole-hearted appreciation and joy
over his son’s achievement and told him to carry on with his education. His
father’s affection and encouragement kept him in good stead in the years to
come.

Professor
Hamīdullāh took admission in Osmania University in 1924 and passed the B.A.,
LL.B., and M.A. examinations in the first division. He was awarded a fellowship
by the Osmania University to pursue doctoral studies in International Islamic
Law. He traveled to several Islamic as well as European countries for the
purpose of collecting information for his research. He was awarded D. Phil by
the Bonn University in 1932. In recognition of his outstanding ability and his
proficiency in several oriental languages, he was appointed a lecturer in Arabic
and Urdu at Bonn University. After spending some time in Germany, he came to
Paris where he registered at the Sorbonne University for another doctoral
degree. In a short period of 11 months, Sorbonne University conferred on him the
degree of D. Litt. During his stay in Europe, Professor Hamīdullāh had an
opportunity to visit Istanbul. He visited the famed libraries and museums of
Istanbul and saw, to his delight and amazement, thousands of rare Islamic
manuscripts in Arabic, Persian and Turkish languages. Excited, he wrote to his
father that he had seen a rare manuscript of Dhahabī’s Duwalu’l-Islam in one of
the libraries of Istanbul. His sister, who also read the letter, wrote back to
him, saying that he did not seem to remember that a copy of his manuscript was
in their ancestral collection and that it had a few missing pages. She requested
him to obtain the photographs of the missing pages and bring them home.

Professor
Hamīdullāh returned to Hyderabad in 1938 and was immediately appointed a
lecturer in Islamic Fiqh and later in International Islamic Law at the Osmania
University. Following the amalgamation of the erstwhile Hyderabad state into the
Indian Union in 1948, Professor Hamīdullāh migrated to Paris. He took up an
assignment with Centre Nationale de la Recherche Scientifique in 1954, which
ended in 1978. During this period, he also lectured at several universities in
Turkey. Some of his former students, such as Dr Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu,
Director-General, Research Centre for Islamic History, Art and Culture,
Istanbul, and Professor Sālih Tug, former Dean, Faculty of Theology, Marama
University, occupy important positions in universities and research centers in
Turkey and other Islamic countries. In a scholarly career spanning seven
decades, Professor Hamīdullāh wrote extensively across a wide spectrum of
Islamic disciplines, including the translation of the Qur’ān in French, English
and German, Hadīth, biography of Prophet Muhammad (sws), Fiqh, Islamic
International Law, Islamic History, and Arabic epigraphy. He wrote over a
hundred books and over 1000 articles in seven languages, including French,
German, English, Arabic, Turkish, Persian and Urdu. No other contemporary Muslim
scholar can match his exceptional proficiency in several languages. He knew 22
languages, including Thai, which he learnt at the age of 84. Professor
Hamīdullāh is the only scholar in the world to have translated the Qur’ān in
three European languages: French, English and German. The French translation has
an interesting background. Some time in the 1950s, Professor Hamīdullāh heard a
knock at his door. The caller introduced himself as a local publisher who was
interested in bringing out a French translation of the Holy Qur’ān. He gave a
reference of the celebrated French Orientalist Louis Massignon, who had
suggested that he should approach Professor Hamīdullāh for doing the French
translation because he believed that no one else was better suited for this
challenging and formidable task. Professor Hamīdullāh felt that the French
translation of the Qur’ān, or its translation in any language for that matter,
should in some measure convey the incomparable eloquence, majesty and
persuasiveness of the original Arabic text. The thought that French was not his
mother tongue and therefore he would not be able to do justice to the
translation weighed rather heavily on his mind. When he expressed his anxiety on
this count to the publisher, the latter suggested a remedial measure; Professor
Hamīdullāh could render the text of the Qur’ān into French and the language of
the translation could be polished and refined by a French man of letters. He,
therefore, agreed to do the translation. This translation was first published in
Paris in 1959. It has undergone over 30 reprints and the last edition has sold
over two million copies. It remains the largest selling and the most widely read
translation of the Holy Qur’ān in any European language.

Parts of the
English translation of the Qur’ān by Professor Hamīdullāh were published from
South Africa in 1960. The German translation, though complete, remains
unpublished. Professor Hamīdullāh’s abiding interest in the translation and
interpretation of the Qur’ān is reflected in his book, The Qur’ān in Every
Language, wherein details about the translations of the Qur’ān in 125 languages,
together with the translation of the first chapter of the Qur’ān in each of
these languages, have been provided. The book was published in 1939.

Professor
Hamīdullāh’s contribution to the literature on Sīrah (Prophet Muhammad’s (sws)
biography) is marked by a refreshing originality and acuity of insight. His
first book on the subject, published in 1935, deals with the diplomatic
correspondence of the Prophet (sws) and his Companions (rta). His major Arabic
book Al-Wathā’iq al-Siyāsiyyah, first published from Cairo in 1941, contains the
texts, with critical notes and references, of more than 300 documents, including
correspondence, treaties, proclamations and assurances, pertaining to the period
of the Prophet (sws) and the four Caliphs. His French book Six Originaux des
letters diplomatiques du Porphete e I’Islam, contains a comprehensive and
exhaustive discussion in the light of classical as well as contemporary sources,
on six of the Prophet’s letters whose original texts have been preserved.
Professor Hamīdullāh’s biography of the Prophet (sws) in French entitled Le
Prophet de I’Islam, first published in two volumes in 1959, has undergone
several reprints and has been translated into several languages. He wrote a
biography of the Prophet (sws) in English entitled Muhammad Rasūlallāh (sws) a
short treatise, entitled The Battlefields of Prophet Muhammad (sws) in English
and Urdu, combines information gleaned from the classical sources as well as
from field work and topographical maps relating to the sites associated with the
Prophet’s military expeditions. Another significant work of Professor Hamīdullāh
is Muslim Conduct of State, first published in 1941, which deals with theory and
practice of statecraft in the early Islamic period.

A highly
significant and original contribution of Professor Hamīdullāh pertains to the
discovery, editing and translations of some rare and invaluable manuscripts
relating to Hadīth, Sīrah, Fiqh, Islamic history, biographical literature and
medicine. These include the following:

1.
Sahīfah Hammām Ibn Munabbih by Hammām Ibn Munabbih (d. 101 A.H), published
from Damascus in 1953, Urdu and English translation were published from
Hyderabad in 1955 and 1961.

7.
Kitābu’l-Nabat, by Abū Hanīfah al-Dīnāwarī (d. 882 A.H), published from
Cairo in 1973; the English translation of the book by Professor Hamīdullāh was
published from Pakistan.

8.
Kitābu’l-Sard wa’l-Fard fī Sahā’ifi’l-Akhbār, by Ismā‘īl al-Qazwīnī, the
text, together with the English translation, was published from Islamabad,
Pakistan in 1411 A.H.

9. Sunan
Sa‘īd Ibn Mansūr
(a rare manuscript of this invaluable collection of
Hadīth
was discovered by Professor Hamīdullāh in Turkey. It was edited by Mawlānā
Habību’l-Rahmān
al-Azamī, with an introduction by Professor Hamīdullāh, and Published from
Dabhel, Gujarat in 1968)

Professor
Hamīdullāh translated Sarakhsī’s celebrated work Sharhu’-Siyar al-Kabīr in
French. Parts of this translation, running into 3000 pages, were published from
Ankara. Imām Bukhārī’s celebrated work Al-Sahīh was rendered into French by
some Western Orientalists. Professor Hamīdullāh compared the French translation
with the original Arabic text and identified hundreds of errors in the
translation. This book, comprising 600 pages, was published from Paris. He
prepared a detailed and exhaustive index of Imam Bukhārī’s Al-Sahīh in Arabic
and French. Professor Hamīdullāh wrote books for the general reader as well.
Mention should be made of Introduction to Islam, first published in 1957, which
has been reprinted several times and has been translated into 22 languages.

Professor
Hamīdullāh made an invaluable contribution to the dissemination and popularity
of Islamic teachings and ideals in Europe in general and in France in particular
through his writings, lectures and his personal charisma. The resurgence of
Islamic consciousness among educated Muslims in the Western countries and the
wave of conversion to Islam that is sweeping across Western Europe owes a great
deal to his intellectual, moral and personal influence. Now there are more than
a hundred mosques in Paris alone. The number of converts to the Islamic faith in
Paris, most of whom are white Parisians, exceeds a hundred thousand. On an
average, about ten French men and women embrace Islam every week in Paris. With
his profound erudition, his exceptionally affable temperament, his unassuming
ways and his persuasive discourses he inspired thousands of Muslim students,
intellectuals, youths and activists who looked upon him as a role model.

Professor
Hamīdullāh belonged to that rare and rapidly dwindling breed of Muslim scholars
who carried on the tradition of their illustrious forebears with utmost
sincerity, incredible selflessness and exemplary dedication. A highly
self-respecting person, he did not accept any gifts from any one. His French
translation of the Qur’ān has sold millions of copies and the publisher has
become a millionaire. Yet, he did not take a single franc by way of royalty. In
1987, the government of Pakistan presented him a cheque of US$ 25000 as a token
of appreciation for his outstanding services to his cause of Islam. He promptly
donated the money to the Islamic Research Institute, Islamabad. He was nominated
for the prestigious King Faisal Award, but he declined it. Professor
Hamīdullāh’s selflessness and complete detachment from worldly allurement was
reminiscent of the example set by the Muslim scholars and sages of earlier
times.

Piety, humility and simplicity were conspicuous in
Professor Hamīdullāh’s personality and character. He chose to remain a bachelor
and led an extremely simple and Spartan life. He lived on a frugal meal of milk,
rice, curd and fruits. For nearly fifty years, he lived in a small apartment on
the fourth floor of an old building in Paris, where he had to climb 180 steps to
reach his house. He fell seriously ill in 1996 and had to be hospitalized. He
was taken to the US by his elder brother’s grand-daughter Sadida, who took good
care of him and nursed him to recovery. His demise marks the passing of an
illustrious and momentous era: